Republican lawmakers want houses of worship with education facilities to qualify for the concealed carry laws in North Carolina. | Stock Photo
Republican lawmakers want houses of worship with education facilities to qualify for the concealed carry laws in North Carolina. | Stock Photo
Democrats in the General Assembly rejected legislation that would have given concealed carry permit holders permission to carry on houses of worship grounds that also had a functioning school on the property.
The "Freedom to Worship Safely" was nixed after six House Democrats agreed with Gov. Roy Cooper’s decision to veto the legislation, House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) said in a July 8 a statement on his website.
"This was not legislation where politics should come into play, and we are disappointed House Democrats prioritized their political leanings over the safety of church congregations by switching their votes after the veto," Moore said in a statement on his website.
One lawmaker who supported by the bill was Rep. Jay Adams (R-Catawba), saying that the legislation was needed to help protect churches.
"Where you do not have concealed carry, you create a target zone, a free-fire zone – that’s why people go to schools and churches to create mayhem,” Adams said in a statement on Moore's website. "Concealed carry is a simple thing to do. No one has to carry a gun. But the mere fact that a law-abiding person may be armed at the facility, is enough to deter bad actors in their calculations. This is about as commonsense as it gets."
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